Should they go or should they stay.

BRIDGEPORT — When a rash of bomb scares started earlier this at local schools, particularly at Bassick, it seemed the policy was evacuate the building, every time. At the time, Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas said the district couldn’t take the chance even if it seemed clear the threat was a hoax.

However, it appears the the district protocol is now letting the city police department make the call and sometimes, the call is to stay put.

Last Friday, there was apparently a bomb scare at Columbus School. Parent Tammy Boyle told the board she learned of the scare from her son and was upset that instead of an evacuation, students were kept in their classrooms. She said she later got an automated call at home from the school saying the scare was really a drill. Turns out, it wasn’t.

Vallas told the school board on Tuesday he is not sure why the call went out giving incorrect information but did confirm that the police department is making the decision on whether to evacuate.

“Believe me if there was a one percent chance it wasn’t a hoax they would evacuate that building. They knew it was a hoax,” Vallas said.

Board member Sauda Baraka said she found that hard to believe.

Hoax or not, board member Hernan Illingworth said the district shouldn’t take any chances.